Pointing to research undertaken by Italy’s National Institute of Health (ISS), Italian online gambling trade body LOGiCO has stated that digital incumbents are better prepared than land-based counterparts to protect national consumers from gambling harms and addiction.

“ISS’ evidence and statistics, confirms what LOGiCO has maintained for some time, online gambling verticals offer better procedures for identifying problem gamblers and limiting services to vulnerable consumers” details LOGiCO President Moreno Marasco.

The ISS report on Italian gambling trends, details that 94.5% of adult players engage in physical (land-based) gaming, whilst online gambling is still considered a niche market by Italian consumers.

Furthermore, at a consumer protection level, the Italian gambling sector now has to adhere to the protocols of the new Italian self-exclusion registry, a directive limited to digital incumbents.

“The ISS report underlines that recent measures undertaken by the Dignity Decree will be ineffective in the fight against problem gambling and criminal actors targeting vulnerable players.”

Representing Italian online gambling stakeholders, LOGiCO points to ISS statistics which detail that advertising has no relevant significance in a consumer choosing to engage with gambling products.

Furthermore, Marasco states that the Decree has been short-sighted in its understanding of gambling, as criminal operators design their products to be enticing to problematic players, uninterested in having any engagement with casual consumers.